By Daniel Tertschitsch, special for Placar
Rio de Janeiro (RJ) - 2008 has arrived at a full swing for Flamengo. And the exciting news and excitement aren't limited to the pitch. Off the field, the Marketing department is one of the club's busiest.
Discussions are underway regarding a new sports equipment supplier – Olympikus offered Flamengo R$20 million annually, plus 10 stores across Brazil, almost three times more than the R$7,5 million paid today by Nike.
Additionally, there's FlaTV, the current administration's goldmine, which brings in around R$42 a month for the club. And a magazine exclusively about Mengo is on the way, to be called "Sempre Flamengo."
Check out an exclusive interview with Flamengo's Vice President of Marketing, Ricardo Hinrichsen:
Is it possible to know what impact the loss to América might have on the club's merchandise sales? It's difficult to estimate, just as it's very difficult to estimate the impact of the Rio title. We know it had an impact, that it decreased, but there's no way to quantify it. We'll only be able to understand that well after it's over. There's no way to know how the fans will react.
What's the result of the Mobile Store, which was launched last week? It worked wonderfully. Our partner in the Mobile Store, Roxos e Doentes, is the same partner as the São Paulo mobile store. The data I received showed that the mobile store sold more in one day than in the ten days it was in Morumbi.
Do you have accurate data?\ No, they're still finalizing the sales data to prepare a report. But we already know the sale was sensational.\
Will the mobile store be used in all games?\ It doesn't make sense to have it in all of them, especially since the truck isn't ours. It belongs to Roxos e Doentes. We can't have it in every game. And it's not important to have it in every game, just the most important ones.\
How are the negotiations regarding the sports equipment going, in relation to Nike and Olympikus? I can't confirm that, because at this moment the matter is already being handled by the president and the Legal department. It's no longer with me.
Recently, some newspapers exclusively about Flamengo were launched in Rio. Are they licensed products?\ They are not licensed products. They have no direct connection to Flamengo. They are newspapers about Flamengo, but not from Flamengo.\
But the existence of these newspapers shows that Flamengo fans are eager to consume club products that help the club. Is there any editorial project? We have the magazine to launch with Editora Abril. It's in the final stages. I saw the first version of the magazine, including the doll. I hope it will be out by the beginning of next month.
What will the name and circulation be?\ Always Flamengo. Monthly, probably\
And how's FlaTV doing?\ It's doing well, within our expectations. Around 5 to 6 subscribers. A spectacular number in terms of internet in Brazil. No other video channel, only video, has this number. There was talk of a much higher number before it went live. But considering the current situation in Brazil, this number is very good.\
What's the return?\ Each subscriber pays 12 reais. From that you deduct tax, must give about 20% and another 30% to the company that develops FlaTV. Seven reais to Flamengo, plus advertising.\
How does Flamengo promote FlaTV, besides advertising boards at Maracanã games? We are preparing some television commercials within the quota that Flamengo has within the Club of 13.